Food Safety and Sanitation Syllabus

About this Course

This is a 1-credit 7-week block course.

The course is based on the Ready, Set, Food Safe program developed by the University of Idaho Extension. It is a course that will prepare you to work in food labs, in the food industry, and your own home by taking an in-depth look into what foodborne illness is, what the risks are, and how to prevent them.

In each lesson you will:

Some of the activities require that you discuss topics with class members. Other activities require you to teach or demonstrate a skill to someone at home or work (could be a friend, family member, roommate, co-worker, etc.). Please plan ahead for those activities.

Idaho Food Safety Exam

At the end of the course, you will be well prepared to take the Idaho Food Safety Exam. The exam is offered online and is free.

If you have studied, you will not find the exam difficult.

You may take the exam as many times as you wish before the end of the term. However, you must pass the exam with a score of 80% or higher. If you do not achieve 80% or higher, you will fail the course.

If you don't live in Idaho, the Idaho Food Safety Exam might not specifically help you. However, passing the Idaho Food Safety Exam with 80% or higher is the requirement to earn credit for this course.

Optional: Other Food Safety Exams

You may take the food safety exam for your location as a substitute for the Idaho exam. However, to earn credit for the course, you must do the following:

  1. Email the instructor of your plans to take another exam by the end of Week 04. (You will be reminded of this in Week 04.)
  2. Pay any required fees.
  3. Provide documentation of your score (such as a certificate) by the end of the term.
  4. Earn a score of 80% or higher.

Important

  1. Please understand that the information in this course specifically prepares you to pass the food safety exam for Idaho. Other states or locations may have different rules and regulations. In order to pass another state exam, you will need to study that state's standards.
  2. Any food handler's certificate earned before enrollment in this course will not count toward course credit. The food safety exam must be passed during the term in which you are enrolled.
  3. As stated above, you can take an exam from another location, but there are at least three advantages of taking the Idaho exam: (1) this course prepares you specifically for the Idaho exam, (2) the exam is free, and (3) the exam may be taken more than once.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

Catalog Description

Students will learn proper food safety and sanitation processes in preparation for gaining a food safety and sanitation industry-based certification. Credit will be granted upon successful completion of the Certification Examination.

This course is worth 1 credit.

Learning Model Architecture

The course activities follow a weekly cycle of Prepare, Teach One Another, and Ponder & Prove.

Prepare: You will prepare by viewing or reading the weekly presentation. You will reference the Idaho Food Code (as needed).

Teach One Another: You will teach one another through discussions or at-home demonstrations. 

Ponder & Prove: You will prove your knowledge and skills by completing activities, assignments, quizzes, and the final Food Safety Exam.

Prerequisites

No prerequisite coursework required.

Required Materials

Textbook. There is no textbook to purchase for this class.

Camera. You will need access to a digital camera to document your work for certain assignments. A cell phone camera is sufficient.

Thermometer. Access to a food thermometer will be helpful in Lesson 07, but not required.

Other People. Some assignments require you to teach or demonstrate skills to a friend, family member, acquaintance, etc. The actual amount of time spent with the friend per activity is quite short, but some activities require a significant amount of your time to prepare for the activity.

Department Policy Regarding Intellectual Property and Course Materials

All of the materials in this course are covered by fair use and copyright law and are proprietary (intellectual property). Students are not permitted to sell, post, trade, share, distribute, or send any information contained in this course (including outlines, handouts, syllabi, exams, quizzes, PowerPoint presentations, lectures, audio and video recordings, or images of the same, etc. including your own work for this course) to any parties outside of this course (ie Course Hero, Quizlet, Google Docs, etc.) by any means (e.g., posting, uploading, attachments, etc.) without the express written permission from the creator of these works and the Department Chair. Any of these actions violate the Academic Honesty policies of Brigham Young University-Idaho (please see Academic Honesty) and will be dealt with as such. The materials in this course are also intellectual property and taking any materials from the course and posting them outside of this course in any manner will be construed as theft and distribution of intellectual property. If you engage in any of these actions, or use any of these materials without authorization, the instructor has the right to impose an appropriate academic sanction (e.g., give you a failing grade for the assignment and/or fail you from the course). Additionally, the respective Course Lead, Program Lead, and/or Department Chair also reserve the right to impose appropriate academic sanctions regardless of any imposed by the instructor.

Course Expectations

Grading

Your grade is determined by dividing the number of points you earn by the total number of points possible. To maximize your earned points, put forth a conscientious effort.

Passing the Food Safety Exam with 80% or higher gives you 100 points toward your final grade. If you do not pass the Food Safety Exam with 80% or higher, you will fail the class. It will not matter how many total points you have earned on other assignments.

Week Graded Activities Points
Week 01 Course Readiness Quiz 10
Introduction Discussion 10
L01 Notes Quiz 7
What's the Rule? Assignment 10
Personal Cost of FBI Discussion 10
Week 02 L02 Notes Quiz 12
L02 PHF Quiz 12
L03 Pathogen Research 5
L03 Pathogen Discussion 10
L03 Notes Quiz 8
Week 03 L04 Notes Quiz 10
L04 Drive Up Window Discussion 10
L04 Cook for a Date! 15
L05 Notes Quiz 14
L05 Sick Employees 13
L05 Spick and Span 15
Week 04 L06 Notes Quiz 8
L06 Cross-Contamination 10
L06 E.coli Outbreak 10
L08 Notes Quiz 8
L08 Ward Party - Part 1 20
Week 05 L07 Notes Quiz 11
L07 Case Study 10
L07 Thermometer 10
L07 Ward Party - Part 2 20
Week 06 L09 Notes Quiz 7
L09 Reflection 10
L09 Food Handler's Card Research 10
L09 Ward Party - Part 3 20
Week 07 Food Safety Exam 100
Total Points Possible 425

Grade Scale

A 93–100%
A- 90–92%
B+ 87–89%
B 83–86%
B- 80–82%
C+ 77–79%
C 73–76%
C- 70–72%
D+ 67–69%
D 63–66%
D- 60–62%
F Below 60%

Writing Requirements

In this course, you are required to write short papers and instructional documents as part of certain assignments. You will need to follow the instructions carefully. Focus your papers on the topic given by your instructor and be concise and clear. Rambling is not accepted for full credit. Do not attempt to “pad” your responses by being wordy. Your papers should be well-organized using paragraphs with correct spelling and punctuation standards.

If you need help with your paper, visit the BYU-Idaho Writing Center website for tutorials and handouts. Personalized help is also available to students through the Writing Center. Visit the Help for Online Students page for more details on Writing Center resources for online students.

Remember, it is your responsibility to understand and follow the instructions completely! If you have a question regarding an assignment, ask your instructor early for clarification. Last minute questions cannot be expected to be answered immediately.

University Policies

Academic honesty is required and any violation with be dealt with according to the University Academic Honesty Policy.

Policy on Sexual Discrimination/Harassment

BYU-Idaho prohibits sex discrimination against any participant in its education programs or activities. Prohibited sex discrimination includes incidents of sexual harassment (including sexual violence), dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking (collectively “sexual misconduct”). 

As an instructor, one of my responsibilities is to help create a safe learning environment for my students and for the campus as a whole. University policy requires that I report all incidents of sexual misconduct that come to my attention. If you encounter sexual misconduct, please contact the Title IX Coordinator at titleix@byui.edu or 208-496-9200. Additional information about sexual misconduct and available resources can be found at www.byui.edu/titleix.

Reasonable Accommodation for Students with Disabilities

BYU-Idaho does not discriminate against persons with disabilities in providing its educational and administrative services and programs, and follows applicable federal and state law. This policy extends to the University’s electronic and information technologies (EIT).

Students with qualifying disabilities should contact the Disability Services Office at disabilityservices@byui.edu or 208-496-9210. Additional information about Disability Services resources can be found at www.byui.edu/disabilities.

Personal Conduct

All of your correspondence with the teacher or other classmates must be respectful. Writing something disrespectful or “venting” is unprofessional and not becoming of a university student. In addition, it is not in accordance with the Honor Code of BYU–Idaho and you will be subject to discipline accordingly. You are invited to re-read the BYU–I Honor Code and the “Principles of Personal Honor.”

Full Information

For details regarding all University Policies, please refer to the University Policies located in the course Welcome or Resources module in your I-Learn course.

Disclaimers

The instructor reserves the right to change any part of this syllabus at any time during the semester in order to adapt to changing course needs. You will be notified prior to any changes that may take place.